Soupe au Pistou (Provençal Vegetable Soup with Pistou)

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 courgettes, diced
• 150g green beans, cut into 2cm lengths
• 2 ripe tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
• 1 x 400g tin haricot beans, drained and rinsed
• 1.5 litres vegetable stock
• 100g small soup pasta or broken spaghetti
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• For the pistou: 40g fresh basil leaves (2 large supermarket bunches)
• For the pistou: 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• For the pistou: 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• For the pistou: 40g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Cook the onion and carrots for 5 minutes until starting to soften.

2. Add the potatoes, courgettes, green beans and tomatoes and stir for 2 minutes. Pour in the stock, season, bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add the haricot beans and pasta and simmer for a further 10 minutes, until the pasta and potatoes are tender.

4. Meanwhile, make the pistou. Pound the garlic and a pinch of salt to a paste in a mortar, add the basil and pound until broken down. Stir in the Parmesan, then gradually beat in the olive oil. A small food processor also works well using short pulses.

5. Take the soup off the heat and stir in two thirds of the pistou. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

6. Ladle into warm bowls and top each with a spoonful of the remaining pistou and a little extra Parmesan. Serve with crusty bread.